adoption recommendation letter

Juergen and I have been asked to write a letter of recommendation for a friends adoption. They also asked another friend of ours for a letter. This is my advice on what to include…

If you are writing an adoption recommendation letter, there are several things that should be included. An adoption recommendation letter should include information about how you know the person that you are recommending. It should tell how long you have known them, and in what capacity. For example...I have known the Heymann family for 10 years. I first met Juergen at the University. We now work together and we are living in the same neighborhood and attending the same church. It should talk about what you consider the person’s strengths, qualifications, and any other skills . You should discuss their character, their contributions to the community, their accomplishments, their dependability, and their consistence. You should summarize the types of interactions that you have seen the person have with children, whether they are your children or whether they are other children. You should also discuss the persons temperament and attitudes about child rearing. Finally, you need to summarize the adoption recommendation letter with why you recommend the person, and how fully you recommend them. The letter should only be one page long. It only needs to include what you know about the person...make it personal. Also international adoption officials are impressed by official looking letters. It is always a plus to have the letter nicely printed on a piece of stationary with your business letter head. You may need to ask your place of business for permission to use their stationary.

I need to finish that letter tonight. I’m so excited for my friends. They want to adopt siblings from Ethiopia. I know they will make great parents! I can not wait to take them to the airport…and I hope they will not have to wait too long!